Chapter 5 ReWrite
by Mitoki-hime
Summary: This is my version of the end of the book. It was written for English class. Rated K for Minor Charater death. Happy Ending.


Just a little something I wrote for English class I hope you like it please read and review if you do ~Mitoki-Hime

One end of the great barn was piled high with new hay and over the pile hung the four-taloned Jackson fork suspended from its pulley. The hay came down like a mountain slope to the other end of the barn and there was a level place as yet unfilled with the new crop. At the sides the feeding racks were visible, and between the slats the head of horses could be seen.

It was Sunday afternoon. The resting horses nibbled the remaining wisps of hay, and they stamped their feet and they bit at the wood of the mangers and rattled the halter chains. The afternoon sun sliced in through the cracks of the barn walls and lay in bright lines in the hay. There was a buzz of flies in the air, the lazy afternoon humming.

From out side came the clang of horseshoes on the playing peg and the shouts of men, playing encouraging ,jeering .but in the barn it was quiet and humming and lazy and warm.

Only Lennie was in the barn. He sat by the small nest that Lulu had made for her pups. Lennie smiled as his small pup crawled around nipping and barking at his siblings.

"I ought to name you pup,"he grinned at him as the sound of a shoe clanging against a peg fallowed by the cheering of men outside.

"I got's it, I outta name you George! yeah George, just like George," he nodded approvingly and got up brushing the hay from his overalls.

"That's it, it's a good name 'cus it's George's name. I've gotta tell George! George will be so happy and he'll let me tend more rabbits! I'm gonna go tell George now George so you stay put!" he roughly patted the dogs head receiving a little yap of a bark back as he ran out of the barn.

On the other side of the barn, a door creaked open. Curley's wife poked her head through the door and did a quick sweep of the place before she walk in

"Well jeez I would a fought that big guy would be in here ah well," she murmured to herself" might as well go bug crooks then" she sighed and walked out of the barn closing the door with a soft click behind her.

" George, George!" Lennie called out to the man

Looking up from the peg he was about toss a horseshoe at he turned toward the larger man with a very annoyed look on his face but it relaxed a bit when he saw that t was Lennie calling to him

"What da ya what Len? We're right in the middle of a game here,"he explained to him

"George! I got a name for my pup I do," Lennie happily told him.

The other men gained a slightly amused look on their faces as they listened in on what Lennie was saying as George shook his head.

"well then spit it out, already interrupted our game might as well tell us the name for your pup then."

" I'm gonna call him George, George!"Lennie told him giddily,"And he's be a good pup George cause George is a good name since its your name and you're the best George!"

George blinked a few times as Carlson and Candy started to crack up. Slim held his hand in from of his mouth giggling a bit.

"Ah boy," George exclaimed knowing he was not going to hear the end of this for a long time, "now why da hell are you naming a Lil mutt after me Len? You crazy kid!" and at this remark Slim lost it as did the rest of the men cracking up as Lennie continued to explain to George why his name was a good name for his Lil pup oblivious to all o the other men.

" I'm gonna go to George now George," he then told George with all the grace of a young child and ran off toward the barn as happily as ever. George shook his head some more, then turned to the other boys

"Shut up, will ya? If that's what he's gonna call the pup so be it, outta keep him distracted for a bit, common let start up again pretty sure I'll get a ringer," he said to them."That Lennie," he sighed and threw the shoe landing a ringer.

Monday morning came and it was back to work. Soft winds were blowing on the sweet drenched men, the tractors were out picking up the last of the harvest. Horses whinnied in annoyance as flies landed on them and the soft mummer of the workers could be heard over the noise of the tractors and other machines.

Curley was driving one of the tractor's, acting as more of a supervisor then doing any actual work he was too busy ranting and boasting to the other men about how they worked failing to notice his wife coming towards him in a white dress with what was probably his lunch tucked in a cloth clutched in her hand, waving to the other men as she passed them.

A shout from one of the men Brooke over the noise of the harvest,

"watch her,"he tried to inform Curley in a panic but by then it was too late.

The scream of a women filled the field but went silent as the tractor's engine went out in a rush. A sudden shock came over the field for a time as men looked over wondering what had happened, then ran over as they saw the broken heap the was once the wife of the boss's son. They huddled around her, hands covering their mouths in shock as to what had taken place. Curley had jumped off the tractor like a dog that just got its tail stepped on and shuttered, stunned as he saw his darling wife.

"My God Curley, you killed her," Slim exclaimed mouth open and eyes wide and glasslike.

"God damn it Curley, you killed her."he whispered as both he and Curley bent over the girl, checking her pulse and seeing if she was breathing but, the women's lungs were crushed as was part of her arm and her legs.

Slim looked towards Curley a sad look in his eyes, the other man went white as a sheet as his hand fell on the woman's neck feeling no pulse and fell over. He had fainted.

George went over to Lennie and pulled him over to the scene " George is she okay?" the large man asked

" No Len, she don't look too good. I think she's dead.,"George said to Lennie

"Is she dead George?"he questioned.

George, seeing how Curley just fainted, and Slim was telling some of the men to go and get the boss as other were saying to call in the police. He told Lennie what he assumed "yeah Len I think she's dead, My God what a rotten way to die, poor women."

Tears began to come from Lennie as he sobbed, "George she was a nice lady, why did she have to die? She's not like a mouse George! She ain't delicate like one. She was real pretty too"

George patted him on the back and gave him an awkward hug, "common Len lets get back to work , slims got some guys already to handle the situation hear"

With that, most of the men went back to hauling the sacks on to the trucks looking every so often at the tractor where the ambulance had just arrived hauling away the woman like they did with there sacks...

Epilogue

"Its been 2 mouths since the incident. Curley's wife was laid to rest at a cemetery near the farm. All of the men went to the funeral but it was probably for the free food that came after. Me and Len managed to work up enough of a stake, along with Candy and Crooks to pay for the farm. It's a real beaut, needs a bit of work but not much. I'm still working at the farm though I'm trying to get enough dough to pay for the animals..."

"And the rabbits?"Lennie asked

George sighed and wrote down, "And the rabbits"then he continued to write in the note book "we've been having a bit of trouble with mice right now, seem to have there Lil holes around the house, crooks says we should get a cat, case em all away Len like them thou... that enough for today Len" George said getting up from the weathered old oak desk.

The living room was pretty much empty except for a table a few stools and of course the old desk.. The big window let in the light and it filled the big room. On the other side of it was a view of a dusty road and from there a forest and some more farm field bird chirped away and the sound of a brook could be head as it flowed thou the back end of the property. Out side Candy and Crooks were beginning to plow the field throwing out large rocks hear and there, cursing them for almost braking the blades.

"I can't wait til' we get the rabbits George, I'll tend them real good I will ain't no fox or cat gonna eat any one of my rabbits," Lennie giddily told him punching the air at the imaginary foxes and cats.

George smiled,"yup you got that right Len ain't no foxes gonna eat your rabbits, I'd hate to be one of those critters."

A tapping on the window alerted the two men, it was candy, "you two gonna help us old men or are we gonna have to do it all by our selves?" candy joked.

" Yeah we're coming out right now," George said,"common Len lets get to work" he told Lennie as he got up.

"Coming George," Lennie replied as he follow George out side...


End file.
